Guests stay in rustic but gorgeous overwater bungalows at Fat Boys Resort. Photo / Supplied
Guests stay in rustic but gorgeous overwater bungalows at Fat Boys Resort. Photo / Supplied
Ben Leahy stays at Fatboys Resort in the Solomon Islands and soon discovers that it’s the staff that makes it memorable
Location: Fatboys Resort’s above-water bungalows and restaurant sit on a thriving coral reef in postcard-blue seas. It is located near Gizo in the western Solomon Islands, a seven-hour flightnorth of New Zealand and then another two hours west by small propeller plane. It’s also a short boat ride from many of the Solomons’ most popular diving, fishing and surfing spots.
Style: Tahitian bungalow beauty, served in more rustic, homely and affordable style. Fatboys is all about open air living. Chill in hammocks or sit at the bar drinking cocktails. But no matter where you are in the resort you’ll almost always have a perfect view of the islands, palms and azure waters. It’s the type of luxury that comes from having a yarn and great time with friends rather than expecting perfectly chilled Chardonnay.
Price: About $280 per night, although packages are available.
Fatboys Resort is located near Gizo, a seven-hour flight north of New Zealand and then another two hours west by small propeller plane. Photo / Getty Images
Perfect for: Adventurers and those seeking a resort where staff treat you like family. Fatboys’ most common visitors are anglers, divers and surfers using its as a base to access nearby world class adventure activities. But many other tourists come to spend languid days snorkelling and taking in local culture. We met Brisbane couple Sarah and Mark Seddon on their second trip to Fatboys. They’ve had 24-hour butlers in the Maldives, but say nothing compares to Fatboys’ staff, who’ve become like family. On the couple’s last visit, resort manager Manu Dhari took them to visit his home village. On this visit, Sarah was mourning the third anniversary of her dad’s death during the Covid pandemic. Hearing that, one of the Fatboys staff spent half a day using banana leaves to weave a wreath for Sarah’s dad. The resort’s entire team then gathered with the Seddons to float the wreath into the sea as a memorial to her dad. Sarah’s mum also joined by video call from Australia, and was moved to tears. “That’s a life memory right there,” Sarah said.
Check in experience: Fatboys sits on its own tiny island. Arriving by boat, I stepped onto the restaurant decking – which rests on stumps above a coral reef – to find a squeezed lime juice waiting. My room was ready, so I dumped my bags and quickly freshened up before tucking straight into freshly cooked lunch.
The room: The Solomons’ natural beauty is the star of its bungalows. Coral reef stretched from below my villa’s decking, hundreds of metres out to Kennedy Island - the island where former US president John F Kennedy was shipwrecked during World War II. Kolombangara island with its towering jungle mountain then loomed behind that. Relaxing in the bungalow, you can take in the view chilling on hammocks, reclining on a couch, or lying down on a queen-sized bed. While the open-air layout is great for views it does mean staff come in each night to light mosquito coils and that the beds are draped in nets. Still, I barely encountered a mosquito during my entire Solomons trip.
The bathroom: Clean, but rustic. The bathroom’s netting and views give a lovely feeling of being in an outdoor shower, while still giving privacy.
Food and drink: Fatboys’ restaurant is the resort’s hub. It acts as part-restaurant, part-bar and part-social hub. Fatboys’ cooks also do a good job rotating the menu each night, giving four or five options that typically include seafood and chicken dishes. Local fishermen deliver fresh lobster and fish most mornings, and the cooks also specialise in cooking fish freshly caught by guests. The picturesque bar is well-stocked and perfect for sunset drinks.
Facilities: Fatboys’ bungalows don’t have Wi-Fi, meaning guests can typically only access it at the restaurant. Other facilities include a wide range of water equipment from snorkel gear and stand up paddle boards to small boats, called polycraft, that guests can use free of charge to motor to nearby islands or coral reefs.
Fat Boys Resort is your gateway to world-class diving and fishing. Photo / Supplied
In the neighbourhood: The western Solomons are the country’s adventure capital and Fatboys is in the heart of it all. Former Kiwi “first dude” Clarke Gayford is among avid anglers to visit the area. Divers can visit downed World War II fighter planes and Japanese shipwrecks or Grand Central Station – a reef with one of the world’s highest fish counts. Surfers can find gorgeous breaks with waves all to themselves, while birdwatchers also treasure the islands because they contain bird species that only live in the Solomons. History buffs can visit scores of attractions, including World War II battle sites or discovering the islands’ headhunter past.
Accessibility: Being only accessible by small boat, you might want to reconsider a trip to Fat Boys unless you feel comfortable climbing in and out of small boats.
